On the road in Burgundy for the 22nd day of Ligue 1, AS Monaco lost 2-0 to Dijon on the Gaston-Gerard stadium’s pitch.
It came at the end of a surreal week marked by the departure of Thierry Henry and the return of former manager Leonardo Jardim, that saw the Monegasque moved to Dijon. Directed by caretaker manager Franck Passi, acting in place of the returning Portuguese coach, the Principality’s club was defeated by Dijon, adding a new setback to their efforts to climb out of the relegation zone.
The match seemed to start well for the red and white, who created several opportunities via Fabregas (4 ‘) and Falcao twice (15’ and 19 ‘). Being largely manhandled early on, Dijon would soon react. They would go on to open scoring as Kwon broke through in the 24th minute. The Monegasques would almost return the favor about ten minutes later as Tielemans struck a clear equalizer that would, unfortunately, collide with the post (38 ‘). Half time score: 1-0 for FC Dijon.
The second period would soon become even more difficult for the visitors as defender Naldo received a red card (59 ‘), already his second of the season after joining Monaco earlier this month. Sliti will double the score less than ten minutes later forKombouare’s men (68 ‘). Reduced to 10, AS Monaco could create a rhythm. Final score: 2-0 for Dijon.
Still stuck in 19th place thanks to Guingamp’s loss against Reims, the Principality’s club will face its bottom of the table rival next Tuesday for the semifinal of the Coupe de la Ligue.